Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) Given Consensus Rating of “Buy” by Analysts

Encore Capital Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECPG) has been given an average rating of “Buy” by the four ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $65.00.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on ECPG shares. Northland Securities raised their price objective on shares of Encore Capital Group from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Northland Capmk upgraded shares of Encore Capital Group from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. StockNews.com upgraded Encore Capital Group from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 29th. Finally, JMP Securities lifted their target price on Encore Capital Group from $60.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “market outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th.

Insider Transactions at Encore Capital Group

In other Encore Capital Group news, Director Laura Olle sold 1,340 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.16, for a total transaction of $65,874.40. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 32,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,591,849.96. This trade represents a 3.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 2.63% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Encore Capital Group

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Encore Capital Group by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 570,047 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $26,952,000 after buying an additional 13,648 shares during the period. Barclays PLC increased its stake in shares of Encore Capital Group by 22.9% in the third quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 197,903 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $9,355,000 after acquiring an additional 36,822 shares during the last quarter. Jane Street Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Encore Capital Group by 191.7% during the third quarter. Jane Street Group LLC now owns 49,719 shares of the asset manager’s stock worth $2,350,000 after acquiring an additional 32,672 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Encore Capital Group by 16.0% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 756,335 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $35,752,000 after purchasing an additional 104,509 shares during the last quarter. Finally, State Street Corp grew its stake in Encore Capital Group by 0.3% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 900,677 shares of the asset manager’s stock valued at $42,575,000 after purchasing an additional 2,597 shares in the last quarter.

Encore Capital Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:ECPG opened at $47.54 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $1.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.06 and a beta of 1.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 3.39, a current ratio of 1.11 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Encore Capital Group has a 12 month low of $39.64 and a 12 month high of $54.55. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $48.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $47.13.

Encore Capital Group (NASDAQ:ECPG) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The asset manager reported $1.26 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.48 by ($0.22). Encore Capital Group had a positive return on equity of 12.70% and a negative net margin of 13.91%. The firm had revenue of $367.07 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $360.70 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.79 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 18.6% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Encore Capital Group will post 5.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Encore Capital Group

Encore Capital Group, Inc, a specialty finance company, provides debt recovery solutions and other related services for consumers across financial assets worldwide. The company purchases portfolios of defaulted consumer receivables at deep discounts to face value, as well as manages them by working with individuals as they repay their obligations and works toward financial recovery.